Mechanism for cleaning metallic containers



May l1 1926. 1,583,930

O. W. JAN-rzl ET AL MEcHANtsM Fon CLEANING METALLIC CONTAINERS Filed May 14, 1925 2 sheejs-Sheet 1 'May 11 ,1926. 1,583,9o

" O. W. JANTZ ET'AL MECHANISM FOR CLEANING METALLC CONTAINERS Filed May 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Herber Janfz I W v i E tbozmzgd.

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Patented May 11, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEQHANISM FOR. CLEANING METALLIC CONTAINERS.

Application led May 14, 1925. Serial No. 30,283.

An object of our invention is to provide aneiiicient mechanism foruse in the electrolyte cleaning of metallic containers such as aint pailsi,` ink pails and the like.`

iiiother" obj-ectl is to provide a device of the tyliefinentioned in which a container or pailinay be completely cleansed of dried inks, paints or other substances without requiring the usual soaking and manual scrapingI and scrubbing ot the containers.

Another object is to provide a device oi' the class described which may be expeditiously handled by a workman.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the device, parts beingI bro-ken away and shown dis posed within a tank 'forming part of the device.

` Fig. 2 is ak view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and giving a plan view of the cages forming details ot our invention.

Fig 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 ot Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 isa view taken on line 4-4 ot Fig. 1 showing the-.contact brushes forming a detail of our invent-ion.

The device comprises an upright or standard extending through a suitable cross beam or support 11 forming' apart of a trame structure 12 which is carried by the top of the walls 13 of a suitable tank structure 14. The standard 10 has its upper portion 15 dispos-ed above the frame 12 and its.

lower portion 1G extending through and below the traine 12 into the interior of the tank 14. vThe standard 10 may be clan'ipe'd in the desir-ed position by any suitable means such' as threaded flanges 17 disposed on opposite sides o'l'the member 11 ot the traine 12. A sliding hinge bearing` 18 encircles the lower end 16 ot' the standard 1 0 and may be raised and lowered thereon. AA suitably perforated lug 19 having a spaced guide 2O passing therethrough and secured lat its ope positeends in spaced relation 'to the portion 16 of the'uprigh't 10 by means of' suitable spacing blocks 21, serves to preclude the sliding hinge bearing 18 from rotatory inoiffe-inent about the end 16 of the standard 10`. The upper end 15 "of the standard 10 carries a suitabley cross beam 22 having mounted thereon pulleys 23 Avand 24 from whichthecleaning cage of` our invention may, "be Suspended" by 'meins .Of a Suitable cable 25 having a coiinterweight 26 at the tree end thereof. l

The deaning cage comprises two menibers, an exterior cage 27 and an interior cage. 28 which are adapted to be disposed on the outside and inside respectively ot a container or vessel to' be cleaned such as 29 and support bar 30 is pivotally mounted as at 31 upon the sliding hinge member 18 and carries suit-able cross beams 32 electrically connected to the support bar 30. The cross beams 32 have flanged ends 33 electrically connected to and supporting the outer cage 27- A second set ot cross beams 34 are also electrically connected to the support bar 30 and aie secured at their ends to the inner cage 28. The cages 27 and 28 as will be noted are thus suspended in spaced relation rroin one another upon the bar 30 but both are electrically connected to said bar' 3() by means el? the cross beams 82 and 34 as just described. On the ext-reine end of the sulfport 30 is a substantially conicalt-ip of insiilating` inaterial, the purpose. of which will be explained hereafter. The cages 27 and are provided with strips ot" insulating material 36 and 37 respectively so that when a pail or container such as 29 is inserted between said cages it. will vbe impossible to make electrical contactv between the container 29 and either of the cages 27 or 2S. The outer cage 27 is also provided with a'pair ot'` insulating strips: 38 disposed on diametricaly opposite sidesfot the'exterior of the. cage A clamp bar 39 of* electricity conducting material is hingedly mounted at the ends oll one pair ofthe insulating strips 36 and 38 by means or a suitable hinge structure 40 while. the opposite corresponding ends ot the. second pair o'insulating strip-s and 38 are provided with a suitable latch pin struct-ure such as 41 adapted to receive and lock in position a suitable latch structure 42 carried by the clamp bar 39. The clamp bar 89 is. provided interinediate thel latch structure 42 and the hinge structure 4() with a series olf somewhat resilient contact brushes 43 (see F 1 and4). in end ot' the cable 25 carries a pulley 44 which in turn carries a supporting cable 45, The. opposite ends 46 and l47 o-'cable 45 are securedy by any suitable ineans suoli as hooksito the insulating strip 3 8 adjacentthe latch 41 and thepin 31 of the sliding hinge member 18 respecf tively. rEhe counter i'veight 26 onV the end llfl of the cable 25 is suiiiciently heavy to counterbalance the cage and hinge structure so that a minimum of effort is necessary to raise the cage structure and sliding hinge structure upon the lower portion 16 of the upright 10. From the structure described and shown in Fig l, it will be readily apparent that it is possible to raise the sliding hinge structure 18 directly upward and by virtue of the cable 25 operating over pulley 4eithat the support bar 30 and the cage structures mounted thereon may be very readily tit-ed at an angle about the. pin 31. The support bar 30 and clamp bar 39 are electrically connected by any suitable means such as flexible conductor cables 48 and 49 respectively of an Ielectrical switching means such as 50. From the foregoing it will be apparent that the inner and outer cages 2?' and 28 and the support bar 30 will all be of like polarity while the clamp bar 39 and brushes 48 are of opposite polarity when an electrical current is passed through the cables 48 and 49. lt will also be noted that a container such as 29 will be retained in position between the inner and outer cages solely through the resilient action of the contact brushes 43 on the outer bottom wall of the vessel and the insulating conical'block 35 on the inner bottom wall thereof. The inner and outer cages are provided with suitable perforations 51 and 52. The tank le is adapted to be lill-ed with a solution which will at once form an electrolyte and also exert some natural cleansing action upon metal container such as 29. or this purpose. a mixture of water and caustic soda br soda ash or lye will operate successfully. However, it is desirable to secure a solution that will. create a minimum of foam when electrolysis takes place.

The operation of the device is as follows:

It is assumed that a number of ink or paint containers such as 29 are found to have a quantity of very hard and v-ery dry ink or paint adheing thereto and that it is desired to cleanse these vessels in order to again use them. rlhe workman whose duty it may be to cleanse these vessels, will open switch 5() and then raise the cage st-rueture and sliding hinge structure to its uppermost limit on the lower portion i6 of the upright 10 by pulling bar 39 upwardly. He will then be able to move the support bar 30 about its pivotal mounting 3l so that the free ends of the cage? structures are disposed above the top of the solution in the tank 16. The workman will the-n open the latch Ll-e2 and swing th-e bar 39 about its hinge et() whereupon he will be able to insert a vessel or container such as 29 between the inner cage 28 and the outer cage 27 with the insulating point 35 extending into the vessel 29. The bar 39 is then moved about its pivotal mounting 40 to bring the brushes 43 in contact with the bottom of the vessel 29 so that the .ends of the brushes 43 make electrical contact with the vessel. Insulating point 35 may serve as an abutment for the vessel. The latch 411-42 is then closed and the vessel remains clamped and electrically connected by the brushes 48. The bar 39 is connected to the negative side of a suitable source of electrical energy of low voltage and high amperage. The cage structure having the container 29 clamped therein is then lowered into the electrolyte in the tank lll-and is manipulated about the pivotal mounting 8l to exhaust all air from within the vessel 29. After the air is exhausted from within the pail the cage is tilted so that 1 articles of ink or paint may be carried away from the pail by gravity. This manipulation is veryY readily accomplished by grasping the upper end of the bar 39. lVhen the cage structure having the vessel mounted therein has been lowered Sudieiently to immerse it completely in the electrolyte, the switch 50 is thrown in following` which e`ectrolytic action takes place, the vessel 29 and contact brushes 43 forming the negative electrode while the inner and outer cages 28 and 27 respectively form the positive electrodes spaced from the inner and outer surfaces of the vessel 29. The electric current flowing from the vessel to the perforated cages 27 and 28 will drive off all foreign matter, such as the dried ink, paint or the like from the surface of the vessel and as will have been previously noted, the interior of the vessel 29 is contacted only by the comparatively sharp insulating point The bubbles of gas and the foam caused thereby are permitted to readily dissipate themselves through the perforations 51 and 52 in the inner and outer cages respectively and will tend to carry the loosened particles of foreign matter away from the surface of the container. The slanting position of the inne-r and outer walls ofthe vessel will ver 1 readily permit the loosened particles to n'u their way to the bottom of the tank. After the electrolytic act-ion has continued for a time and all of the foreign matter has become loosened from the walls of the vessel 29, the switch 50 may again be thrown out and the cage structure and the vessel contained therein may again be lifted as previously described whereupon the clamp bar 39 may be unlatched and the vessel 29 remove-d from the cages in a thoroughly cleansed condition.

The source of electrical energy, while dia- `from one another upon the support bar and electrically connected to the support bar, a tip ot insulating material mounted upon an end ot the support bar, a clamp bar adapted to be mounted across the end of the outer cage and electrically insulated therefrom, resilient contact brushes carried by the clamp bar, and means tor connecting the support bar and cages to a positive supply line ot a suitable source ot electrical energy and tor connecting the clamp bar and brush es to the negative line o1 said source of supply.

2. Tn a device ot the class described the combination ot a tank tor containing an electrolyte, a standard depending in the tank, a sliding member mounted on the standard, a support bar pivotally mounted at its one end upon the sliding member, a pair of substantially concentric cages mounted in spaced relation upon the support bar and electrically connected thereto, a clamp bar removably mounted upon the outermost concentric cage and electrically insulated therefrom, means comprising insulating` material carried by the support bar and contact brushes carried by the clamp bar for holding a metallic vessel with its side walls spaced between the cages and tree ot electrical contact therewith and for electrically connecting said vessel with the clamp bar, and means for lowering and raising the support bar and cages into and out of the tank.

3. Tn a device ot the class described the combination with a tank tor containing an electrolyte, ot' a support bar, a pair ot perorate concentric cages mounted in spaced relation upon and electrically connected to the support bar, means for clamping a vessel with its walls interposed between the walls oi the cages and tree of electrical con necticn with the cages, and means t'or connecting the vessel and the cages with negative and positive lines otl a source ot elec trical energy whereby electric current will pass into the vessel through the electrolyte and return through the cages and support bar.

Ll. In a device for effecting electrolytic cleansing ot ink containers and the like the combination with a tank for containing an electrolyte, a cage structure comprising an inner and an outer cage, the walls of said cages being spaced for receiving between them the walls ot a container to be cleansed, an electrical clamp bar adapted to contact the container and to clamp the said container in pcsition between the cages tree of electrical contact with said cages, and means for electrically connecting the cages to one pole of a source of electrical supply, and means connecting the clamping means and container to the opposite pole of said source ot electrical supply.

5. In a device of the class described the combination of a counter-weighted reciprocating pail holder comprising spaced cages and a contact member orclamping a pail in spaced relation to and electrically insulated trom the cages and balanced means t'or permitting rocking ot the pail holder in a vertical pla-ne.

6. Tn a device ot the class described the combination of a pail holding cage adapted to extend about the inner and outer Walls ot a pail, means for raising and lowering the cage and permitting rocking ot the cage in a vertical plane, means tor electrically connecting the cage and a pail respectively to opposite poles oit a source oi electrical energy, said cage and pail being normally electrically insulated from one another and an electrolyte container adapted to receive the cage and pail.

7. Tn a device for cleaning vessels comprising a tank ot cleansing fluid, an electrode of a shape similating the shape ot the vessel surface to be cleaned, a source oi" electrical supply having its one pole connected withk the electrode, and means toi clamping avessel adjacent the electrode, electrically connecting the vessel with the other pole ot the source ot electrical supply, and removably supporting the vessel in the tank.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed o ur names this 6th day of May, 1925.

OTTO WV. JANTZ. HERBERT O. JANTZ. 

